


Journey To The Past

by thesatanistauthor



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Comfort, Emotional, Emotional Hurt, Fluff, Levi's Past, M/M, Mention of Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 22:33:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18417239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesatanistauthor/pseuds/thesatanistauthor
Summary: Levi and Nico have just moved in together. They have to go and sort out the last of Levi's stuff at his mom's place when a sudden surge of old (and painful) memories are dug up.





	Journey To The Past

**Author's Note:**

> This mentions family death, so... yeah. Just be careful on this one if that can trigger you in anyway.

"I can't believe you would do this to me!"

 

Nico huffed as he slumped back into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he jutted his bottom lip out in a pout. A little celebration was going on beside him as Levi did a little victory dance, overly proud of himself. 

 

The two had been playing a game of Mario Kart. A very, very competitive game of Mario Kart, that was. In his family, Nico had always been the best at the game. He knew every short cut, every little trick to get ahead and win. He knew the best cars, the best roads to play, he knew how to get the starting boost that Levi always failed to execute. 

 

Yet here they sat, Levi having won for the third time in a row, meaning that he won the entire game. Nico couldn't quite believe his eyes. Maybe he could blame it on the ridiculous number of obstacles he had to face, or maybe his controller was slowly dying. 

 

"I won fair and square, Nico. Deal with it, I'm just better than you." Levi's tone was proud and cocky, as was his entire demeanor. 

 

Nico let out a defeated groan as he sat back up straight, stretching his back out as he did. The muscles in his back were sore from being so tense, having being sat in the same position for far too long. He concentrated on the game so much he swore he forgot to breathe at one point. 

 

"I can't believe you beat me," He breathed out, turning his head to look at Levi. "No, like seriously. You must have cheated."

 

"I am no cheat!" Levi gasped, holding his hand to his chest as if the comment had offended him. Nico grinned fondly at his boyfriend, scooting closer to his side. 

 

"Hmm, okay. I'll accept that. You won fair and square." Nico finally admitted, despite how much it pained him to do so. What had he really expected? Levi was like a game-master of some sort. He just knew how to play every single game perfectly!

 

Levi grinned at Nico before leaning forward to break the distance between them, capturing Nico's lips in a sweet kiss. 

 

"We need to stop procrastinating and actually get on with what we need to do," Levi hummed as he pulled back, realizing that they couldn't escape their responsibilities through the power of Mario Kart. "Even though I'd much rather just keep kissing you."

 

Nico let out a sigh as he nodded his head in agreement, but he knew that if they didn't get on with it, the job would never get done. The two got up from where they were sat on the couch, tidying up the little mess they'd made. 

 

After they were done, Nico headed into the kitchen, leaving Levi to continue with the mess in the living room. They had to go and get the rest of Levi's stuff from his mom's house. Nico had asked Levi to move in with him and they'd got most of the stuff they needed, there were just a few more things that they needed to sort through and they'd be done. Levi's mom had practically fallen in love with Nico the first time she met him. She could tell that he was a great guy. Though, she did take him aside and give him that typical mom talk of 'if you hurt my son, I will kill you'.

 

Levi sent a text to his mom letting her know that they'd be there soon to get the last of his things. As much as she was so happy for her son, she was going to miss Levi being in the house. Even if she didn't get to see him much whilst he was there, it was comforting knowing that he was still there. Levi received a text back from her just a minute later, which made him chuckle. 

 

"Hey, Nico," Levi called, still reading the text on his phone. Nico popped his head around the door of the kitchen, a brow raised in question as he looked at Levi. "My mom wants to know what your favorite sweet treat is."

 

"Besides from you?" Nico teased. The reaction he got from Levi is exactly what he'd wanted. He found it incredibly adorable when Levi got flustered; It never failed to make him grin like an idiot. "Probably brownies. I really, really love brownies."

 

-

 

When they had arrived at his mother's place, she'd practically rushed out the door to greet them. She had an apron on that was covered in flour, her hair tied back into a bun to keep it from her face. There was a single patch of flour smeared across her cheek. 

 

She'd greeted Levi with a motherly hug before moving on to Nico, enveloping him in a bear hug. Despite the fact she was a small woman, her hugs were strong. They were comforting and warm though, which is what everyone loved so much about her. She'd practically taken Nico by the hand and dragged him inside to show him what she'd made, Levi having to follow behind. 

 

"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing to the kitchen counter, which was cluttered with baking supplies. Levi let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. As much as he loved her, she could be so... mother-like. "I baked!"

 

 

"Yes, mom, we can see that. You're covered in flour." Levi spoke up from beside Nico, trying desperately to hide his grin. He knew if his mom saw him smile at what she'd done, she'd never let him live it down. 

 

"Thank you, Mrs. Schmitt-"

 

 

"Oh, love, no need to call me that! Call me Johanna, I insist!"

 

Levi let out a groan before dragging himself over to the couch, where there a bunch of boxes waiting for him and Nico to sort out. Nico chuckled quietly to himself as he watched Levi sulk before turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. 

 

"Thank you, Johanna. I appreciate it, as does Levi."

 

She let out a little giggle as she returned to making the brownies, humming away as her mind became occupied. Nico made his way over to help Levi with the boxes, sitting down next to him with a huff. He looked at the boxes strewn across the room in front of them. Levi half expected there to be a lot more. 

 

"Alright," Levi clapped his hands together in front of him, eyes still scanning over the boxes. "I'll start over here and you can start over there. Sound like a plan?"

 

"Sounds like a plan." Nico agreed, the two of them both moving to sort through the boxes. Johanna had turned the radio on in the kitchen, the low hum of a familiar tune floating through the room. 

 

Nico opened one of the boxes and saw that it was full of DVDs. Old ones, too. 

 

"You keeping these DVD's?" Nico questioned, picking up one of the boxes to examine it. Levi looked up from his box, which he was already elbow-deep in. He was silent for a moment, internally debating whether he would ever actually use them again. He hadn't used them for ten years. 

 

"No, I haven't used them for quite a few years." Levi shrugged, turning his attention back to his box. 

 

"Levi's favorite movie used to be Titanic!" Johanna called from the kitchen, catching both Nico and Levi's attention. Nico couldn't help but smile at this new found information, turning his head to look at Levi, who looked absolutely mortified. 

 

"Mom!" He whined, turning and hiding his face in his hands. 

 

"It's true! I always thought you watched it for Kate Winslet. Now I know I was wrong." 

 

Levi let out another loud whine at his mother's words, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Nico, however, found it rather endearing to hear. The movie was good and even he too enjoyed watching it from time to time. It was just so heartbreaking. 

 

"It's a good movie, I can't blame you. Don't think I could ever live up to Leo, though," Nico commented, turning his attention back to the box of DVD's, closing the box back up before pushing it to the side. 

 

Levi scoffed and removed his head from his hands, his attention turned to Nico. "Please, Leo has nothing on you. You're a million times better." 

 

Nico just smiled at Levi's compliment, opening up another one of the boxes. This one was a little bigger, so he wondered what could possibly be inside of it. When he opened it, a large pile of stuffed toys almost jumped out at him. It was obvious they'd all been squished in at one point. 

 

Nico let out a small 'woah' as the box abruptly opened, a few of the toys falling to the floor with a soft thud. Levi looked up from what he was doing, wondering what Nico had been so surprised by. 

 

"Hey, my toys!" Levi shuffled his way over to Nico, curious to see what toys he would and wouldn't remember. He picked up one from the top, examining it. "I remember this guy! I won him at a carnival when I was young."

 

"You had- no, have, a lot of toys," Nico was completely gob-smacked by the number of toys that were in the box. "Like, a lot."

 

"Some of them weren't mine," He began, the smile on his face dropping. Nico frowned at this, his head tilting to the side in wonder. "I'll tell you about that another time." 

 

Johanna walked into the living room, drying her hands in the towel she held. She had removed her apron and the flour from her cheek was gone, her hair still tied back. She sat herself on the couch behind the two men, a solemn smile stretched across her lips. Nico glanced over his shoulder to look at her, silently questioning as to why the two of them looked so blue all of a sudden. 

 

"The brownies will be ready soon," Johanna announced, though it sounded flat. Levi let out a heavy sigh before turning to face his mom, giving her a thankful nod. "So, what have you found?"

 

"Our- my, toys," Levi stumbled over his words. "Look."

 

Levi handed over the small plush elephant to his mother behind him, the two of them sharing a sad smile. Nico just sat there, feeling as if it were the wrong time to ask questions. Levi had never mentioned that he had siblings before. He wondered if he'd ever get to meet them. 

 

"Yes, I remember this one."

 

"What about this one?" Nico picked out a toy, holding it up as he took a closer look at it. Johanna audibly gasped at the toy Nico had picked up, dropping the plush she had in her grip, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.  The toy elephant fell to the floor, landing next to Levi.

 

"Nico," Levi sighed out, reaching over to take the toy from him. He placed it back into the box, much to Nico's confusion. "I think we need to leave this box for now."

 

"Okay. Which one is next then?" 

 

-

 

It had taken a lot longer to get through the boxes than they originally thought. Granted, they did stop quite a few times when they found something particularly interesting. Especially when Levi had found a certain game which he had mentioned to Nico before. He may, or may not, have gone on a little tangent about how great it was. Nico, of course, listened on. 

 

They'd gone through old clothes, photos, games, toys, a bunch of random objects. Nico had very much enjoyed sitting with Johanna, flicking through the pages of a photo book full of baby pictures of Levi. It wasn't exactly Levi's favorite thing to endure but even so, he sat through it, his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. 

 

Levi had been so excited to show Nico all the achievements he'd gotten in school. It was obvious that Levi was proud of his school days. He'd been on the mathletes team, something which he'd excelled in. Turns out, he'd also helped during productions, figuring out the lighting and working backstage. Though he'd never been super popular at school, he'd been much respected.

 

"Right, I think we're done. All that over there, I don't need. We'll be taking this lot here." Levi rolled his sleeves up to his elbows as he bent down to pick up one of the boxes. Nico already had a box in his arms, ready to take it to the car.

 

"I'll get the door for you," Johanna smiled brightly, racing over to open the door so Nico and Levi could begin loading up the car. She wedged a piece of cardboard under the door to keep it open, as the door had a tendency to shut. It'd been something that Johanna had put on her list to fix, she just never got around to it. 

 

Within ten minutes, the car had been loaded and the two were ready to make their way back home. Nico closed the door of the car, turning to face Johanna and Levi, who were already saying their goodbyes to one another. 

 

"I can't believe you're actually moving out," Johanna was teary-eyed as she spoke. Levi chuckled as he pulled his mom in for a hug, holding her tightly. "My boy, all grown up."

 

"Hey, you won't be seeing the last of me. I'll come see you every chance I get, I promise." Levi reassured his mother that he wasn't going to stay away. It seemed to make her feel a little better about him truly moving out. Even though she knew Levi was a grown adult, she still wasn't ready to let him go. Levi was all she had. 

 

"You better bring Nico with you," She turned her attention to the man leaning against the car, watching on intently from where he stood. "You know, if you can. If you aren't... busy."

 

Levi stifled a laugh as he glanced over his shoulder at Nico, who pushed himself off the car to make his way over to Levi and Johanna. As he reached Levi, he snaked his arms around his waist, resting his chin against his shoulder. Levi let out a content sigh as he placed his hands over Nico's, leaning into Nico. Johanna smiled fondly, seeing how happy Nico made her son. 

 

"Alright, you two better be off, otherwise you'll be up all night packing!" Johanna grinned widely. Her smile was so bright, so full of love for her son and his partner. It could light up even the darkest nights. At least Nico knew where Levi got his breath-taking smile from now. 

 

Nico unwrapped his arms from Levi's waist, but not before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. The two of them waved goodbye to Johanna as they hopped in the car, quickly disappearing off out of view. 

 

-

 

"One last box and we are done!" Levi let out an exhausted sigh as he picked up the box from the ground, placing it on the bed just moments later. Nico was busy sorting out some things from the previous box, making sure everything was in a good state before placing it down. 

 

Nico could tell that Levi had some sort of facade up. Ever since they'd left his mom's, he'd been acting... strange. Strange as in, overly happy. The type of happy where it's clearly obvious that the person is not okay, that they're trying to conceal how they really feel. It just didn't seem like the right sort of time to bring it up in the middle of unpacking. Nor did Nico want to force Levi into telling him things he didn't want to. 

 

Clearly, there was something Nico hadn't been told. Clearly, there was something that happened in Levi's past that he didn't wish to disclose. That was okay but even so, Nico's curious side was sure to get the better of him. 

 

Levi opened the box in front of him and began fishing through the items. Nico put down his last item in a spot which looked nice before he sat on the bed, watching as Levi shuffled through the items in the box. Nico knew. He knew that sooner or later, there would be a day when Levi would tell him. 

 

"Hey," Nico caught Levi's attention, causing him to stop what he was doing and look up from the box. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Levi laughed it off as he reached back into the bix, bringing out a picture frame. He placed it on the bed next to the box. 

 

"Babe, I know when you aren't okay. I can tell. You can talk to me about it." Nico crossed his legs in front of him, his hands rested in his lap. Levi just looked at him for a moment, silently debating in his head whether it was time. Then, he reached for the picture frame he'd just put down and picked it back up, glancing at it before handing it over to Nico. 

 

Nico's brows furrowed as he reached for the old, dusty picture frame, taking it from Levi's grip. He looked at it, seeing a family photo. However, there were three others in it, along with Levi and Johanna. A look of bewilderment crossed Nico's face as he turned his attention back up to Levi. 

 

"What's this?" He questioned, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. He couldn't comprehend why Levi had handed him this photo. 

 

Levi let out a long, solemn sigh as he rested himself on the bed next to Nico. "Well, it's a family photo. That's me, my mom, my dad, and my sisters. They were twins. Lily and Clara. We were such a typical, happy family."

 

They were twins. That's what Nico picked up from what Levi said. They were a happy family. Were.

 

"I'm confused," Nico turned his attention back to the frame in his hands, taking a closer look at it. In the photo, the two twin girls were holding matching toys. Two cats, one white and one ginger. It had been the same toy Nico found earlier that made Johanna react in such a way. "You were? What happened?" 

 

"I was ten when it happened," Levi began, but his tone was shaky. Nico rested a comforting hand on Levi's knee, silently letting him know that it was okay, that he didn't have to say anything if he didn't want to. Even so, Levi took a deep breath to compose himself and rested his hand on top of Nico's, giving it a squeeze. "It was the reason I decided I wanted to become a doctor."

 

"If you don't want to talk about it-"

 

"No, I need to talk about it. I've avoided it for this long. Plus, it's time someone knew." Levi interrupted Nico before he could finish his sentence. 

 

"Okay, then I'm listening." 

 

"I remember the day exactly. It was December 20th, it was snowing and it was beautiful. It looked like an actual winter wonderland. I was so, so excited to get out and play in it all. We had to go visit family though, so I had to wait." Levi stopped, glancing at Nico. Nico was listening intently, his brows knitted together as he listened and waited. It wasn't an easy thing for him to talk about, especially since he'd kept it a secret from everyone for so many years. 

 

"I bet you were excited, huh?" The corner of Nico's lips twitched up into a sad smile. Levi nodded in agreement, smiling at the memory. He had been excited; so, so excited. Seeing family was a big deal for him, as it wasn't often that he got to see them. 

 

"I was. So, we got in the car to go. Lily and Clara were super excited too. About halfway there, we hit black ice," Levi sucked in a sharp breath at the vivid memory, having blacked out the day for so long. "The car spun out and then we hit an embankment of snow. We flipped and hit another car coming down the opposite way."

 

Nico felt his heart drop at Levi's confession. He would never have guessed that Levi was in such a horrific accident, had he not been told. The room was silent for a short while, as Levi needed a moment to take a breath and calm himself. He had never envisioned talking about the accident to be so heart-wrenching. The memory had seemed so faded, until today. 

 

"All I remember after that is waking up in considerable pain. I can remember by mom's screams and I could hear the hissing of the car engine. The impact of us hitting the other car had killed my dad straight away." Levi lifted his hand to wipe the tears from underneath his eyes, sniffing harshly as he let out a shaky breath. Nico could feel himself tearing up too. 

 

"Levi," A heavy sigh came from Nico as he pulled Levi into his embrace, holding him tightly. Levi hooked his arms under Nico's, his head buried in Nico's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry. You don't need to tell me any more."

 

Levi's fingers curled around the fabric of Nico's shirt, which would be sure to stretch out the fabric, but Nico really didn't mind. He kept his arms firmly wrapped around Levi, just letting him take what time he needed. This is not what Nico had expected from today. He had not expected to find out that Levi was involved in such a horrible accident. That was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear. Levi was so incredibly strong, Nico was sure of that. 

 

It took a good couple of minutes before eventually, Levi pulled back from Nico's embrace, forcing himself to put on small grin for Nico. He still refused to let himself crying, knowing that if he started, it was likely he would fall apart completely. He didn't want Nico to see him like that. 

 

"I'm okay," Levi whispered, nodding his head as he said it, as if it would make it more real. "I'm okay."

 

"You don't need to continue on, if you can't."

 

"No, I want to. You deserve to know the full story now I've gotten this far," Levi absent-mindedly scratched at the back of his hand, a habit he'd picked up when he got anxious. "I also remember waking up in the hospital, surrounded by doctors trying to save me. I was really lucky though, I got away with a broken leg and a couple of small cuts. My mom had surgery for a ruptured spleen and got a pretty bad concussion. As I said, my dad died at the scene."

 

"What was his name?" Nico pondered, hoping it would help distract Levi, even if only for a brief second. 

 

"His name was Michael, but everyone called him Mike. He hated his name," Levi was able to actually smile at the memories. He always remembered how his father's face would scrunch up in disgust when someone would refer to him as Michael. Whenever he got in trouble with Johanna, she could always call him Michael. "Mom would often call him Michael when he got in trouble with her. It was really funny to watch him tense up when she called his name in that certain tone, you know?"

 

"I know what you mean. It's that tone mothers use when you're in trouble and it sends chills up your spine, right?" Nico grinned fondly at Levi. Levi nodded in response to Nico, letting out a little chuckle. 

 

"Yeah," Levi's grin faded as he thought back to the story he was in the middle of telling. "Lily and Clara, they died in hospital. They died next to me. I watched them die, Nico. I watched my baby sisters die. They were six."

 

"I-I don't quite know what to say," Nico admitted. The subject was a heavy one and despite the fact he dealt with death on a near-daily basis, he still didn't quite know how to go about it. A heavy sigh sounded from Levi as he lowered his head, his lips pursed together. "You went through something incredibly traumatic at such a young age. You lost your family. However, you didn't let that define you. You grew from that and you turned it into something good."

 

"I miss them," Levi mumbled, almost too quiet for Nico to pick up. 

 

"I know, babe. They would be so, so proud of you though. Just like how I'm proud of you." 

 

Levi looked up, a sad smile tugging at his lips. As much as his heart was aching at that moment, he couldn't be more thankful that Nico was there. He was glad he finally got it off his chest, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. 

 

"Thank you," Levi reached out to take Nico's hand in his own, their fingers intertwining. Nico grinned softly at Levi, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "For listening and understanding."

 

"I love you, Levi. I'm glad you let me know about that. Now, I think we better finish unpacking this last box, yeah?"

 

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. I'm exhausted and I want to sleep, but I can't do that with this box still here." Levi pushed himself off the bed, moving so he was standing over the box. He reached in and pulled out a somewhat crumpled photo. 

 

Nico let out a small groan as he flopped down against the mattress, letting his eyes shut for just a moment. He honestly felt completely wiped out from how much they'd moved today. There was so much stuff that Levi had that he refused to get rid of. 

 

"Oh my God," Levi chuckled as he looked at the photo in his hands. Nico opened his eyes and rolled onto his side, using his elbow to prop himself up to look at Levi. "I forgot about this night!"

 

"Let me see!" Nico grinned brightly, reaching out a hand as Levi held out the photo. He took it and looked at it. 

 

"That's me and my date at my prom. Her name was Tia. She was a really lovely girl, she was my best friend all throughout school. I think she went on to be some sort of lawyer." Levi explained, returning his attention to the box. 

 

"You look adorable," It was obvious by his tone of voice that Nico was trying to stifle his laughter. "Very adorable."

 

"Shut up."

 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Nico handed the picture back to Levi, who was pouting at Nico's reaction to the photo. 

 

"I bet you didn't look any better." 

 

"Probably not," Nico rolled onto his back, letting out a deep sigh as he rested his hands on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling. "Honestly, though. You were cute back then. You're cute now. I'm a real lucky guy."

 

Levi opened his mouth as if to say something, only to close it moments later. Even though Nico couldn't see Levi from where he was laying, he could tell that he was smiling. That was all he ever wanted Levi to do. His smile was angelic. 

 

"Are you going to help me with the last of this box?" Levi asked, the sound of him rummaging around catching Nico's attention. He turned his head a little, just enough so he could see Levi. 

 

"But I'm so comfy," Nico let out a whine, not wanting to move again. 

 

"Nico."

 

"Fine."

**Author's Note:**

> wow this was sHIT


End file.
